2000
#24,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Grigoryan
Son of Grigor, an Armenian given name derived from the Greek name Gregory, meaning "watchful" or "alert."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,964 Americans carry the last name Grigoryan. That puts it at #11,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grigoryan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,639
Census rank
#11,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,585 bearers of the surname Grigoryan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grigoryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grigoryan
The surname Grigoryan originates from Armenia and is derived from the Armenian given name Grigor, which is the Armenian equivalent of the name Gregory. The name has its roots in the Late Antique period, as early as the 4th century AD.
Grigoryan is a patronymic surname, meaning it was formed by adding the suffix "-yan" to the given name Grigor. This practice of forming surnames from given names was common in Armenia and other parts of the Caucasus region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grigoryan can be found in the Armenian manuscript known as the "Matenadaran Collection," which dates back to the 9th century AD. The collection contains various historical chronicles and religious texts, including references to individuals with the surname Grigoryan.
In the 12th century, the Armenian historian Mkhitar Gosh mentioned a prominent figure named Grigor Grigoryan in his writings. Grigor Grigoryan was a renowned scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the intellectual and cultural life of medieval Armenia.
Throughout the centuries, the Grigoryan surname has been associated with numerous notable individuals. One of the most famous was Hovhannes Grigoryan (1711-1787), an Armenian poet and scholar who made significant contributions to the development of Armenian literature.
Another prominent figure was Arshak Grigoryan (1868-1927), a renowned Armenian painter and educator who helped establish the Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
In more recent times, Armen Grigoryan (1919-1993) was a celebrated Armenian composer and conductor who composed numerous works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and film scores.
It is worth noting that the Grigoryan surname has also been spelled in various ways throughout history, such as Grigorian, Gregorian, and Grigorev, reflecting the influence of different languages and cultural contexts.
While the Grigoryan surname is primarily associated with Armenia, it has also been adopted by Armenian diaspora communities worldwide, particularly in countries like Russia, Iran, and the United States, where significant Armenian populations have settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grigoryan
Among Census respondents with the surname Grigoryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Grigoryan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Grigoryan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 2,533
- Two or more races1.2% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grigoryan
Grigoryan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
+968 bearers (+99.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 9,033 places
2020
#11,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,585
+648 bearers (+33.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 3,591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,243 | 969 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,210 | 1,937 | 0.66 | +968 bearers (+99.9%) | Up 9,033 places |
| 2020 | #11,619 | 2,585 | 0.86 | +648 bearers (+33.5%) | Up 3,591 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Grigoryan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,210 | #11,619 | 23.6% |
| Count | 1,937 | 2,585 | 33.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.86 | 31.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grigoryan bearers went from 1,937 to 2,585 (+33.5% change). The surname moved up 3,591 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,210 to #11,619.
FAQ
Grigoryan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grigoryan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,964 living Americans carry the surname Grigoryan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,639 residents.
How common is Grigoryan?
Grigoryan ranks #11,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,585 people with the surname Grigoryan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grigoryan.
Has Grigoryan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grigoryan went from 1,937 recorded bearers to 2,585. That is an increase of 648 (+33.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,210 to #11,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Grigoryan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grigoryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grigoryan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (2,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grigoryan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Two or More Races (1.2%), Hispanic (0.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Grigoryan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Grigoryan mean?
Son of Grigor, an Armenian given name derived from the Greek name Gregory, meaning "watchful" or "alert." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Grigoryan (0.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Grigoryan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.